Firefly
by The Random Protector
Summary: -Discontinued- Lost and scared, she found a small spark of hope when the old man wanted to help her. The spark will blaze into an inferno as she discovers life through another.
1. Forgive Me

Hello one and all. Unfortunately, _Baby Blues_ and _Jujutsu_ are on hiatus considering my creativity for it has gone down the toilet and my computer crashed, deleting my half-finished chapters.

Hope you have fun here. This is extremely different then what I would like to write but it won't leave me.

Disclaimer: _Avatar_ is not owned by me and belongs to Mr. DiMartino and Mr. Konietzko, both of whom I bow down to.

* * *

**Chapter 1 – _Forgive Me_**

Strangely enough, no one believed that this incident would not have happened. The tiny village had seen its fair share of the supernatural, even to the point of attracting a small amount of tourists who wanted to catch a glimpse of a "Wildman." Unfortunately, that fad died off real quick when it turned out the local idiot had bought a gorilla suit from the capital city to trick the villagers.

The rice season was going over fairly well. Crop production was up for the village so much, the people had wondered when they had become so favored. A percent of the rice was given to the homeless to keep the favor; another portion was given to the village shrine.

The family had been working in the fields for several hours. The sun was heading towards its resting spot, beating down harshly on the working villagers. Several of the younger children from the families around were put under the shade structure for a nap. One of the older kids was watching them with a closed eye, trusting that they were all asleep as he dozed.

Yawning widely, the girl gazed blankly at the older people picking the rice crop. She would've helped but her hands hurt from dragging the hoe around earlier.

Nodding off, she started to lie down when buzzing echoed around her. Mildly curious, she blinked and tried to find the buzzing thing. Frustrated with the failure, she stood up and spun in a circle, hoping to catch a sight of anything that could buzz.

Dancing in front of one child was a glowing orb, hovering near the small boy's ear. It quivered before dashing off, coming to a rest above a white flower.

She scrambled off after the strange, buzzing creature, creeping up on it like a housecat. The girl froze when twitched and threatened to fly away. Eyes watching it intently, she waited until it calmed back down before racing towards it. Buzzing in surprise, the creature fluttered off before her hands caged it, swiftly flying across the empty field. Pouting, she gave chase, sliding across the grass as it zigzagged.

The glowing creature darted into the small woods, diving into bushes and shrubs. Persistent, she crawled through the plants, eyes scanning for the glowing thing. She'd show it off to the other kids as soon as she caught it. Grinning of the thought of finally outdoing the older kids' captures, she squeezed through a bush.

It seemed to shudder before darting off again, racing against the clock as the girl hunted it down. The creature fluttered up into the trees, diving back down when a bird spotted it. Panting, the girl drew close to it, hands outstretched to grab it.

The tree line vanished from sight as it escaped into a field.

Fingers slipped into its path of freedom, closing around the quivering body.

Warmth spread from her fingers, eyes widening in surprise at the feeling.

The world went white, then black, colors swimming around her. In the time it took her to take a breath, her senses overloaded as unbearable sounds and visions echoed and played. By the time she started screaming, her hands still closed over the beating creature, the colors started to take shape, swirling together before her.

She was still for several seconds, her senses readjusting to normalcy again. Grass tickled her feet where she found herself kneeling.

Her hands suddenly separated, letting the strange creature go. She barely noticed as it fluttered away, the blue glow fading away as it struggled for freedom once again.

Trembles coursed through her, forcing her to fall back. Desperately, she stared around her, finding nothing familiar. Whimpering, she forced herself to her feet, turning back to the way she came through. Tears started to flow as she dashed back into the woods, blocking her face from sharp branches with her arms.

Sunlight greeted her as she rushed out of the forest, heels digging into the ground to stop her. Sucking in air, she stared around, trying to find something she knew. The rice fields had vanished, the small village gone.

"No!" she cried out, turning around, nails scratching the ground to gain traction. The girl sprinted back into the woods, rushing past trees and bushes that were foreign to her. Birds she had never laid eyes on stared at her, heads cocked at the strange child running blindly through the forest.

Bursting from the tree line, the girl spun in a circle while struggling to find some sort of marking she knew. Tears flowed down her cheeks, falling to the ground. The girl fell to the ground, hands curled into fists by her head. Sobbing, she squeezed her eyes shut, willing the image of her village into her head. Eyes peeking open, she let out a loud sob as the houses refused to appear.

* * *

"Zuko, did you hear something?" Iroh asked, disturbing his nephew's concentration. The teen missed the fish he was trying to spear, growling as it swam off.

"Uncle! Be quiet!" he hissed, spotting another silvery fish. He froze, the wooden makeshift spear held over his head. Grunting, he stabbed the water, frustration killing his aim each time. Zuko snarled as he found the fish still in one piece, swimming downstream. In a bout of anger, he snapped the sharpened stick and chucked it across the green field.

Iroh just smiled good-naturedly but turned to look behind him, frowning. He stood up, dusting his clothes off before heading across the hill.

"Uncle?" the teen questioned, pushing the chinaman hat up. "Uncle? What are you doing?" Not receiving any answer, he sighed and jogged off after the old man.

He swore his uncle worried too much. Every little sound had to be checked out and examined before he was satisfied. Strangely, the noise was starting to get louder and more definite.

Zuko reached the peak of the hill and just stared at his uncle as the elder squatted down next to a small lump. Curious, the teen slid down the hill, holding onto his hat to keep it on.

"There, there, it's all right," he heard his uncle whisper. "Now, stop crying."

Zuko grimaced as the sobbing hit a high note, the girl inconsolable.

"I can't find my mommy or daddy!" she squalled, the crying resuming again after her confession. Iroh winced and immediately tried to calm her down.

The crying was grating on his nerves, Zuko gritting his teeth as she continued to bawl. "Shut it!" he yelled out, effectively shutting her up. Her mouth snapped close and the awful noise stopped. Her lip trembled but she didn't break down again, a wonderful sign for the agitated teenager.

Iroh rolled his eyes at his nephew's antics and sat back, letting his legs rest. "Now then," he said, giving the young girl a smile. "What's your name?"

Sniffling, she wiped her eyes and hiccupped. "Sun," she whimpered. The girl looked up at the warm face, smiling sadly.

"That's a wonderful name," the old Firebender remarked. "And how old are you, Sun?"

The girl looked down at her hands, slowly mouthing out numbers as she counted her fingers. "Four," she answered, holding up four fingers.

Smiling, he glanced at Zuko before addressing the girl. "Where are you from, Sun? Maybe we can help you find your family."

Zuko growled at his uncle. They didn't need to stop and deal with every little thing. Azula was sure to catch up with them if they kept getting sidetracked.

Sun looked around, as though seeing if someone was listening. "My village doesn't have a name. It's near the capital city and Dongting Hu."

Zuko frowned, trying to understand what the girl had just said. She had a strange dialect and a couple of the words she said did not make any sense. From the looks of things, Iroh was confused as well.

"What do your parents do, Sun?" he asked, looking over at Zuko who shrugged.

"We grow rice!" she said almost cheerfully.

That made sense at least. Iroh gave her a warm smile and stood up. "Well, not many people grow rice around here. We should be able to find your family soon."

"Uncle," Zuko hissed.

"Zuko," he interrupted. "Relax; they might give us some food and a place to sleep for the night." The old man winked, taking the young girl's hand and leading them back to the river.

The teenager's head fell into his hands. Although, he couldn't argue with some food since he hadn't been able to catch one fish. They needed to make themselves scarce before Azula came around.

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

Dongting Hu – Lake Dongting in the Hunan Province of China, which specializes in rice production

Dialect issue – China has several dialects, some of which are hard to understand if you speak a different dialect. Since Avatar's writing is based off of traditional Chinese, the language is probably a derivative of Chinese as well so the two can understand her, just not several words that might mean something else when spoken


	2. Better Days

Yes, it has been a long time since I started this but I have become completely uninterested in it. I'm sorry to say this will probably be the last update since it's hard to write a story that I know is incredibly clichéd and other stuff. If this ever is updated, it will be a spur of the moment sort of thing.

Very short as I can't force myself to do anymore.

Disclaimer: I do not own _Avatar: The Last Airbender_.

* * *

**Chapter 2 – _Better Days_**

They had searched high and low for about five lis, turning up nothing. Even neighbors said they had never seen the little girl before. None of the rice farmers could help them with their predicament but one kind family had given them a bag of rice and fruit. Iroh had then graciously thanked the woman while Zuko and the girl stayed quiet.

Night had fallen shortly after leaving the last town. Zuko led the ostrich horse to the forest while Iroh and the girl rode on. She was fast asleep, leaning against the Firebender. Often, she mumbled something incoherently, whining near the end of her statement.

Zuko found a clearing with a thick canopy overhead, stopping the large bird. He snorted, shuffling his feet for a moment to readjust to the weight on his back. Iroh slid down, holding onto the sleeping child so she didn't fall off. Zuko was already setting up camp, grabbing twigs and branches scattered on the ground and throwing them into a pile. The dead sticks burst into flame with a simple gesture, the fire curling back in and settling down.

Iroh set the girl against one of the many trees, letting her sleep. She startled awake however, looking around tiredly. Sun whined, rubbing her eyes. The girl stared at the fire quietly, sniffling.

As Iroh cooked the rice in an old pan, Zuko planted a stake in the ground. The ostrich horse grazed nearby, his beak ripping up tufts of the grass. The teen tied the bird's reins to the stake, making sure the knot was tight.

For some reason, the large creature had scared the girl. She had run behind Iroh, hiding behind the elder as Zuko watched in confusion. Surely the girl had seen an ostrich horse before. They did run rampant across the Earth Kingdom's lands.

No one spoke as Zuko sat down by the fire, casting a glance at the girl. She looked so sad or she might've been just tired, it was hard to tell. He had never really liked kids that much.

Wordlessly, Iroh handed Zuko a bowl of cooked rice and a pair of chopsticks. The teen began to slowly eat, watching his uncle's movements. Sun took the next bowl, not saying a word as she fumbled a bit with the chopsticks. They were a little too big for her hands, Zuko noticed. She set them down, choosing to just eat with hands.

"She was very nice to give us a bag of rice," Iroh said, breaking the silence. Zuko merely nodded in agreement. Iroh smiled warmly, digging into his own meal with gusto.

He saw it before he could react. She had barely taken three bites before her eyes watered and the bowl shook in her hands.

Iroh's hand shot out, catching the bowl as it fell. He set it and his own bowl down, getting tiredly to his feet. The girl cried silently, curling up to escape the reality she was in. His uncle was already making small pallet for her, almost looking apologetic. Why was he looking so apologetic?

"It's all right," he whispered to Sun, picking her up even when she fought back.

"No! I want mommy! I want mommy," she cried out, giving up on the last exclamation.

His uncle was always patient though, sometimes a little too patient. She cried harder, whimpering as he laid her down on the pallet. There were barely any words left in her speech as she curled up to cry, ignoring the two men.

With a sigh, Iroh sat back down to finish his meal. Zuko gave one last look at the girl, finding her already calming back down. He suddenly remembered that feeling and remembered hated it when his mother left. Being alone was not the greatest feeling in the world.

"She's just tired," Iroh said after a few minutes. Zuko turned back at him, pretending to ignore the strange look he was receiving. "She probably hasn't had a nap all day."

He nodded, not really wanting to talk about this. The teen was surprised when he went back to his meager meal to find that his rice seemed to have multiplied. Zuko blinked but didn't say anything. He did that, just to be sure his nephew wasn't going hungry. It annoyed him to be watched after like this but he didn't complain. He had taken his uncle for granted for a little too long.

Sighing in satisfaction, Iron smiled at his nephew. "Hopefully we will have more luck tomorrow," he commented, stretching his arms. "Until then, I suggest we get some rest."

As Iroh lied down to sleep, Zuko watched the fire, focusing on it. It rose with his exhales, shriveled at his inhales. It had such a calming affect on him.

He started at the shuddering whimper, nearly leaping to his feet at the sudden noise. Zuko looked over at the girl, finding that she was shivering a little. It was a little chilly, he reasoned. Giving his uncle a glance, Zuko moved to their meager possessions and pulled out a thin blanket they had. It was too small for either of them to use it normally but it should be able to serve its purpose.

He carefully draped it over the small girl, watching her for any sign of movement. She whined but didn't wake up, curling up protectively around the blanket. Her thumb slipped into her mouth, making him blink in surprise. Zuko considered dislodging the offending digit but stepped back. It seemed to keep her quiet enough and he wasn't going to end the peacefulness just to listen to her start crying again.

Quietly, he unrolled his own pallet and lied down on it. Waving his hand, he doused the fire and left them in the dark. He ignored the dark as best as he could, ignoring the memories that were making themselves know.

His mother had left him in the dark.

Growling, he squeezed his eyes shut, chasing away the memories. It would not rule him ever again.

* * *

Li – measurement in China that has changed over the years. In this, one li is equaled to 323 meters. 


End file.
